The Fortress of Humanity
by Rhady
Summary: Number 5678 aka James Ludson escapes Oceanian-South-Africa. And manages to lose the thought police in the Jungle. But in that jungle he discovers a secret he should not have known about.


Two weeks ago it all started: losing hope, the lust to work, faith in Big Brother. Why, because I lost my wife and three children in an attack of a flying bomb. I fell into a deep nothing.

But I remained strong and could barely keep up a mask that would protect me. Sooner or later the Thought Police would lift me of my bed, I knew I was going to end in Room 101.

Two days ago they came to get me, but I heard them coming, I ran.

Somehow I managed to cross the border, when I passed Elisabethville in the Congo the jungle began. Out of nowhere this massive green hell appeared. In the jungle the Thought Police lost track of me. I thought I was saved.

I happy that I had escaped Oceania, but I was regaining my senses, how was I supposed to survive here? Outside the Thought Police would be waiting for me, I had no choice but to go deeper and deeper into the jungle.

After a day of walking I thought I was safe. But suddenly I found myself at the bottom of a pit.

A trap, someone had put a trap in place on this path. I quickly searched it for a telescreen, or a microphone, but found none. Only a thin, broken cable. A possibility sprang to life: this was an old trap made by locals, if so I had a chance to get out. I had my membership card of the party in my pocket. Perhaps INGSOC would save me for a change.

After an hour or so waiting, my crappy watch had given up when I fell down the trap, I heard engines. Great, I thought, it was a Thought Police trap.

When a head poked hove the edge of the trap it wasn't the black Police Uniform, but a much, much lighter uniform. The man wore a sunhelmet of the colonial type, on it a yellow lion on a black shield. I had never seen such a symbol before. It looked old-fashioned, and most probably dated from before the Glorious Revolution.

"Take him out of there," the white man said, immediately some black soldiers descended a ladder and motioned me with their rifles to climb out of the pit.

Whatever that was happening here these things were supposed to be. The symbols were supposed to be gone and the uniform, he remembered, was one of the oppressing armies of the capitalists.

The soldiers made me kneel in front of the white man, who waved casually with his gun. Then the black soldiers formed a circle around me and aimed at me.

"Look at me," the man said, I guessed he was a captain or something like that, well he was the boss of this gang.

"So," he continued, "what is a white man like you doing here?" I didn't say anything. He had a weird accent, I don't know why I noted that.

"Young man, you are a prisoner of the Force Publique of the Belgian Congo, I order you now to tell me your name," the officer declared in an authoritarian intimidating voice. Hesitantly I said my number and name

"5678, James Ludson," I said looking at the officer's boots. I was scared. What were these people from the past going to do to me?

"Well, mister Ludson, I am Captain Van Stryndonck. You will now come with us for further examination."

He must have given a silent order because I felt something sting my arm and even before I could react I fell asleep.

I woke up in a dark room, some people with white coats, like doctors, were standing around me, in the dark I saw a few guards chatting silently. One of the doctors came to me and said with the same weird accent: "Well, mister, you have no hidden devices under your skin. And judging at the clothes you wore," I was surprised, I hadn't even noticed that I didn't wear my clothes anymore, the doctor noticed that I didn't listen and snapped his fingers in front of my eyes, "we know that you're naked, now pay attention. Where was I? Of yes, your clothes, judging the fabric and colour, I'd say you're a member of the INGSOC party, inhabitant of Oceania."

"I have a party membership card," I whispered.

"We burned your clothes and belongings, standard procedure, apart from that the things that lived in there…" the doctor made a weird movement with his arm.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You will find out," a voice I recognised said, the captain stepped in my view. He carried a bundle of some sort.

"Sir, do you think…" one of the doctors said.

"Yes, it is a good plan, after all he won't leave us anymore will he?" Captain Van Stryndonck said.

"Release him," a doctor said motioning one of the guards. After I was released Van Stryndonck motioned the doctors to leave.

"Very well," the captain said, taking a chair out of thin air. "Tell me, why are you here?"

I said nothing. He looked at me.

"There is nothing to be afraid of, no one listens but me. Oceania is far away." After he had said that I began to speak, one word after another joined the waterfall that left my mouth.

"A couple of years ago my family died in an attack, I don't know how but I blamed the Party for this and I started to hate the Party and stopped loving Big Brother, I committed thought crime and one day I succeeded in getting transferred to a border job, and during a short ceasefire I ran away before the thought police would catch me, they were already coming after me, and when they saw me running away they ran after me, I stole a car, and reached Elisabethville, where I abandoned the car and ran into the jungle into your trap."

And all suddenly the words stopped coming, I had spoken exceptionally fast. My interrogator was calmly penning down everything I said and then asked with almost childish naivety: "Who's Big Brother?"

I laughed, I laughed for almost five minutes. He didn't know Big Brother!

"Well Big Brother is the Boss, the Glorious leader of the Revolution!"

"The king?" he asked without looking up from his clipboard.

I looked at him with a face of disgust, a king, A KING? For party's sake. He noticed the lack of answer and looked up. His face was plain and calm. "We have a King." He said, waiting form my response.

"Are you oppressed?" I asked, his face didn't change at all. I wondered if it was a mask.

"No," he said, "what does King mean to you?"

"A king is someone who oppresses everybody except whom he likes, he rules millions of people like they're shit." I shouted had jumped out of my chair.

"Sit down, please," he commanded mildly. I sat down.

He put the clipboard on a black table next to him. "And how is Big Brother different from what you just have said?"

"He is different, he is good and loved," I resorted.

"Have ever seen him? Like for real?" He said.

"No, but his face is everywhere, he sees everybody, he loves everybody," I finished in a whisper.

"How do you know he loves you? Because everybody tells you he does?" I felt my world being shattered, I wanted him to stop.

"Who is he?"

"STOP! Stop!" I screamed the word over and over, I walked away from him, I wanted to hide, I cried I wanted to go back to Big Brother, I was sure he would pardon me.

"Sit down, please," he said.

"No," I said fighting my tears. He repeated his command. Slowly I walked back to him and the dim yellow light.

"Why do you do this?" I asked him.

"Because I need to know, it's my job." Van Stryndonck said. I sighted, I looked at him.

"Who are you?" the captain asked me.

"Who… who are you?" I whispered back, "your kind is not supposed to live, to exist."

"I will tell you how we came to be here: After the Great War ended in 1918, the world was ruined, Belgium was ruined."

"What's Belgium?" I asked. He motioned one of the guards.

"My grandfather lived amongst the ruins and he saw people assemble on the town square, where someone was shouting his hate to our King, Albert I…" The guard interrupted him, and gave him a map of Europe. He pointed at a small triangular spot on the map, I was unimpressed.

"Anyway our King saw that the curtain was coming down, Communism and fascism won easy victories over Democracy and Freedom. The King wanted a safe heaven for those still loyal to him, a self sufficient fortress that would eventually be the last bulwark of Humanity in the world." He paused a while and silently offered me a drink something I accepted happily even though I had no thirst. I had learned long ago not to dismiss anything that was offered to me.

"When the Glorious Revolution, as you call it, erupted the fort was half finished. But we retreated anyway to protect the King's family while the Old King stayed and commanded the army until the bitter end, fortunately for us, the entire administration in Brussels was destroyed, and we whipped Boma of the face of the earth too, and retreated into this place." He looked up and spread his arms.

"Who are you?"

"Escaped soldiers and their offspring and wives, citizens, locals… We are what's left of the old world."

"Now, who are you?" he asked.

"I am a citizen of Oceania," I said.

"A loyal citizen?" He asked.

"I tried and failed," I said.

"At least you are honest," He said, stood up and left, so did the guards.

I stood up too, I spotted the bundle I opened it, it were clothes, clean clothes. I quickly put them on. Sat down and give in to the sleep.

"Wake up," I heard someone say, it wasn't the telescreen, so where I had been yesterday was the same place where I was now.

"Breakfast, the voice said, I slowly linked it to Van Stryndonck I opened my eyes and saw eggs and toast on a plate on the black table. The captain sat on the same chair as yesterday, he read a newspaper, I recognized it as the Times.

"This newspaper really becomes unreadable," he said throwing it on the table. I looked up while the paper wheezed over the smooth black wood.

"With whom is Oceania at war?" Van Stryndonck asked me?

"With Eurasia," I said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Has it always been like that?"

"Yes," I said, nodding while stuffing my mouth with eggs.

"I remember that it was with East-Asia, last week." I swallowed my eggs and shook my head, "Impossible" I said, "I would remember."

"Yes, you would remember," he said, posing his arm on the table.

We both remained silent during the rest of my breakfast. When I was finished, he continued.

"You see this room?" I nodded.

"Is there something outside?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Why would there be something outside?"

"Because I was outside yesterday."

Perhaps you weren't, perhaps you all dreamed that," Van Stryndonck said.

"Are you sure something is outside?"

"Yes."

"What makes you think there is an inside?"

"I beg your pardon?" I was taken aback by this question.

"Does this room have walls?" he asked.

"Yes." I was confident, this man was mad.

"How do you know, the room is dark, you can't see the walls, can't you?" he said.

"No," I replied, "but my intellect tells me this is a room."

"How can you be certain if you have never seen it?" he asked. "If the party tells you this is no room, yet the universe, what would it be?" I hesitated, this man had an irritating talent of confusing me.

"The universe," I said.

"Right, the universe," the captain said.

No one said something, we just sat there for about half an hour. I decided to ask him something.

"What is outside?"

"There is no outside, you said so yourself," my interrogator said.

"How will it end?" I asked, louder then I wanted.

"How will what end? As I said, and you agreed, there is no world but this."

The silence was getting heavier, it was like a bug that crawled over my legs and belly. I was a bit ticklish.

I couldn't sit down much longer, I had to do something, I got up from the chair and looked at the captain, who was once more reading his newspaper. He didn't look up when I walked to where I thought the wall was. I walked and walked until my hand touched a cold stone surface. There was a concrete wall here. I swallowed, although I had known it all along.

"I don't understand," I yelled at the captain, "what is going on?"

"Well, 5678 James Ludson, that's for you to find out, you have eternity, haven't you?"

Big Brother exists, no matter what you say, I thought. If I find out if Goldstein is here and escape I most probably will survive.

"Do you know a man with the name of Goldstein?" I asked from my corner. Van Stryndonck answered with a simple no and left.

Not much later someone brought food again. I ate it in silence.

Van Stryndonck didn't show up anymore for hours, when I received my supper he entered too, sat down again and waited while reading a thick book.

"What book is that?" I asked out of curiosity.

"This?" he asked looking at the cover before showing it to me, "this is a Christmas Carol from Charles Dickens, many of the rich people who came here brought many books, we have almost the entire Royal Library of Brussels stored here,"

"Really? You mean there still exist volumes that haven't gone through the censor machines in the Ministry of Truth?"

"Yes," he said.

I was happy and shocked at the same time, I was happy because history wasn't lost after all, and unhappy because this was an attack on the faith is still had in the party. I decided I wanted some conversation.

"Yesterday you asked me several times whom I was," I began.

"Indeed I did," he replied.

"Why?"

"Because I need to know, it simple," the captain said.

"Why?"

"It's my work, it's what I do, what the King appointed me to do," he said putting the book on the table.

"You're not free," I said to him.

"Are you free?" he replied.

"Freedom is Slavery," I replied.

"Is Slavery Freedom?" he asked.

"Yes, logically, yes," I said enthusiastically.

"No, slavery is the opposite of freedom, people have never been totally free, before 1914 we were well on the way in becoming free, but the rise of Fascism and Socialism prevented that, you are free to go and do whatever you like, there are no laws, but every step you take is watched and every word you say is heard. Here in this fort we have given up freedom partially, we can't go every where we like, nor do whatever we want but we aren't watched, we can say to the King we don't like the way he reigns without being hanged, unlike when your people say something someone behind a telescreenreceptor is able to send you to a prison. In terms of freedom we are opposites, and technically we have the same amount, but not spread in the same way, this makes me freer then you."

He made me doubt, I hate doubt.

"No, freedom is bad, it makes one take wrong decisions," I said

"Is it, we had the freedom to surrender, but we Belgian Army, Force Publique alike retreated to this place."

"You're mad, why would people be so blind not to love Big Brother?" I screamed.

"Have you ever realised that wherever you go in the world the only difference you'll find is the uniform people wear? The name of that mystic leader changes in every empire, but all have invented the airplane, the helicopter, all have been eternally there waiting for a chance to seize power and free all the oppressed. Have you ever realised that?"

When he said that I felt like someone had cut my legs of, I fell in the chair. I heard him panting, unbuckle his belt and put it on the black table.

"Listen, the world like you see it is not what the party says it is, people are poor, it's not because they say that within 50 years everything will be better, that within 50 years everything will be better, they will year after year continue to say 50 years and over 50 years everything will be the same," he said.

"You're a liar," I said weakly, "things will change, it will get better in 50 years."

"No, the Party you believe in is a lie, a network of lies, it is not a place where they try to make things better for you, but better for them, the Party wants power," he said.

"No, I won't listen to this nonsense," I said.

"Fine, I'll let you now."

He left, I was confused, a few days ago, I thought I despised INGSOC, but now I knew why no-one fled, we couldn't live without, without the Party that was eternal and always correct strange things filled our world, even when it consisted out of only one room. Van Stryndonck had left and never came back to collect his belt and book. I tried to forget him and whatever he said, but the book and belt remembered me of him and his words. He had left them on purpose, I knew.

The food was still brought in but not by someone, but by a small conveyer belt that been installed when I was asleep. They worked fast and in silence. I was alone.

"The universe is what we think it is," I heard a voice behind me, I turned: no-one. "Your life is dictated by those who do not care about you," the voice was once more behind me.

The voice continued to speak, cold sweat dribbled over my face and back, while I sun around in search of it, it was louder and louder echoed over the black table and the unlit walls, the dim yellow light that lit the chair became flou, I was dizzy. I needed to find grip, I fell over the chair. When back standing I took the chair and swung it into the dark, where it crashed. The book on the table suffered the same fate, Big Brother said no. It was a lie, everything was a lie, but B.B. was real, this place was the lie, the real lie. Van Stryndonck was the lie. His words were lies, then out of nowhere I heard: "Big… Big…Big…Big…Big…Big…Big…Big…Big…Big…Big... Echoing through the room, before noticing that it was I who said those words. I didn't say them anymore I chanted them, I was in trance. Then I heard and saw things: I saw him and myself in the distance

"_The King? __We have a King." _

"_Are you oppressed?" _

"_No,__ what does king mean to you?"_

"_A king is someone who oppresses everybody except whom he likes, he rules millions of people like they're shit." _

"_Sit down, please." _

"_And how is Big Brother different from what you just have said?"_

"_He is different, he is good and loved." _

"_Have ever seen him? Like for real?"_

"_No, but his face is everywhere, he sees everybody, he loves everybody," _

"_How do you know he loves you? Because everybody tells you he does?" _

"_Who is he?"_

"_STOP, stop__!"_

"_Sit down, please." _

"_No!" _

I walked away from the light and back to the light, the same words echoing through my head.

"_Who is he?"_

I searched for support, I needed support my hand fell on the buckle. There was a crowned lion depicted. _Lies_, I thought.

"_Who is he?"_

"LIES!" I shouted. The echo enforced the effect of my shouting, but Van Stryndonck was right, this was my universe now, there was nothing out there for me. I wanted to throw the belt away as well but it was heavier then I expected. Only then I noticed the holster. I took the gun out, it was heavy and loaded. Fear was all around me, I was fear. I feared death.

"Death is the way out." The voice behind me said. Yes, only by dieing I could get right on track again. Slowly I lifted the weapon. My hand, my strongly shaking hand neared my temples. I fired. Slowly things faded I had missed, I would die slowly now, I was too weak to lift my hands or open my eyes. My the light in my eyes, I could feel it go out, I was still scared.

Everything I have done, it was not in vain, for I renounced my treason and pledged renewed allegiance to Big Brother. And everything else are lies.


End file.
